The International Society of Primerus Law Firms’ staff spent the morning volunteering at a Feeding America facility in West Michigan.The Primerus team worked together to label, scoop, seal, pack and box 3,500 lbs. of sweet potatoes – 2 lbs. per bag! (more)

Clark R. Hudson of Neil, Dymott, Frank, McFall, Trexler, McCabe & Hudson APLC was elected as the 2017 President of the Association of Southern California Defense Counsel (ASCDC), one of the nation’s largest State Civil Defense Organizations. (more)

Contact Primerus

Primerus and our member law firms welcome your emails, contact forms, phone calls and written letters. Contacting us does not create an attorney-client relationship. Please do not send any confidential information to Primerus or its member law firms until an attorney-client relationship has been established. Thank you and we look forward to serving you.

Houston Attorney Randy G. Donato

Phone: 713.877.1112

Email: rdonato@donatominxbrown.com

Languages: English

Randy Donato was selected by his peers in 2007 as one of the top trial lawyers in the state of Texas and recognized in the Texas Super Lawyers edition of Texas Lawyer Magazine. He has led the firm in their outstanding achievements since 1995. He has tried in excess of 100 cases to verdict and has handled 13 appeals, some of which to the Texas Supreme Court. He has achieved Advocate status in the elite American Board of Trial Advocates organization and has a trial record that is hard to match. With 26 years of experience, he has tried nearly every type of case related to insurance defense, subrogation and plaintiffs’ personal injury. His record of accomplishments speaks volumes.

Was lead counsel of the Donato Minx and Brown team that obtained a $455,720,299.00 verdict resulting in a net $387,421,694.65 verdict for CITGO Petroleum and Underwriters at Lloyds against The Babcock & Wilcox Company. The six week trial was heard in Cook County, Illinois and resulted in the largest verdict ever rendered in Cook County and the second largest non-class action verdict in the State of Illinois. The jury deliberated for eight hours before returning a verdict. The lawsuit focused on an August 14, 2001 fire at CITGO’s Lemont, Illinois refinery. Post-accident investigation determined that an eight inch elbow manufactured in 1981 by The Babcock & Wilcox Company was the cause of the fire. The firm sought recovery of property damage and business interruption. The firm worked through complex bankruptcy and insurance deficiencies to obtain a recoverable verdict. The Babcock & Wilcox Company was represented by John Donley and Andrew McGaan of Kirkland & Ellis.

In 2007, successfully overturned on appeal a summary judgment denying Reynolds and their insurers an indemnity claim for an $8,350,000 settlement they paid on an underlying paraplegic personal injury case. After reversal on appeal, the case went to trial and the clients, Reynolds and ACE USA, were awarded indemnity for the $8.35 million previously paid, plus interest.

The Firm successfully defended Underwriters in a two-week insurance coverage arbitration involving a cogeneration electrical plant located in Penuelas, Puerto Rico. EcoElectrica demanded coverage for the failure of a Siemens Westinghouse generator rotor alleging $15,500,000.00 in physical damage and business interruption. The Firm asserted the failure was caused by a progressive manufacturing defect that negated coverage under the latent defect exclusion. In a 3-0 decision, the arbitration panel determined that the policy was not triggered by the claims of EcoElectrica and awarded $0 in monetary damages against Underwriters.

EcoElectrica utilized three generator experts, Clyde Maughan, Isidor Kerszenbaum and Geoff Klempner, and Siemens Westinghouse engineers to argue the defect was sudden and not progressive. Despite the numerous engineers, the Firm, through the use of Mike Thomas as their technical expert, convinced the panel of the progressive nature of the defect and its exclusionary effect on coverage. The Firm successfully defeated EcoElectrica’s claims of coverage on factual grounds, proving no physical damage trigger, no occurrence, the application of the latent exclusion and the inapplicability of the ensuing loss provision.

EcoElectrica was represented by Gordon Grimes, Jack Montgomery and John Osborn of Bernstein, Shur, Sawyer & Nelson of Portland, Maine.

Smith vs. Smith, 295th District Court, Harris County, Cause No. 85-04736. Tortious interference with child-custody rights by wealthy family. Successfully represented the plaintiff in obtaining a $53 million judgment which was upheld on appeal.

Texas Utilities vs. Flour Daniels, 162nd District Court, Dallas County, Texas. $2 million verdict for client on subrogation/property damage case arising out of damages to a turbine during a turn-a-round.

Pennzoil-Quaker State Company v. Genesis Crude Oil, L.P.; 61st Judicial District Court, Harris County, Texas, Cause No. 2001-01176. $12,750,000.00 settlement on a subrogation/property damage and business interruption claim arising out of contaminated chlorides in pipeline system supplied to Pennzoil refinery, causing rapid corrosion and subsequent Naptha release and fire.

Miller vs. Ford Motor Company, confidential settlement for our client in a case involving the first non-deployment of an airbag.

Great Lakes Chemical Corporation vs. Houston Distribution Inc., United States District Court Southern Division, Civil Action No. H-96-1666. Subrogation case arising out of the largest fire in the City of Houston. Resulted in 100% recovery on a $9.6 million claim.

City of Austin v. Pauwels Canada, Inc., Preferred Sales Agency, Inc. and Maschinfabrik Reinhausen GmbH. $2,700,000 subrogation settlement involving an explosion and ensuing fire of a 138/69-13.2kV, 132/176/220 MVA Autotransformer, manufactured by Pauwels Canada, Inc. The explosion originated due to a flashover of the dielectric insulating shaft in the B Phase tapchanger manufactured by Reinhausen. Further investigation revealed the dielectric insulating shaft was damaged during testing while on the test floor at Pauwels. The settlement of $2,700,000 was 140% of full damages, i.e. full damages plus pre-judgment interest.

Send Us An Email

Preferred Contact Method?

EmailPhone - AMPhone - PM

Disclaimer: Primerus and our member law firms welcome your emails, contact forms, phone calls and written letters. Contacting us does not create an attorney-client relationship. Please do not send any confidential information to Primerus or its member law firms until an attorney-client relationship has been established. Thank you and we look forward to serving you.